SIMON, 54, presents Channel 4’s Sunday Brunch. He lives in Manchester with his wife Ali and their two children, Florence and Hamish.

Not a lot of people know this but I am very good at... art. I have a degree in fashion and textile design and was a freelance designer for five years. I like drawing and love the texture and tone of interiors.

My best friend is... I have a few. My two best friends are Martin Hodgson and Phil Beswick. I shared a house with them from 1982 to 1985 when we were at uni and they are still my best mates. One of my other best friends is Tim Lovejoy, my co-presenter on Channel 4’s Sunday Brunch.

My nickname is... When I was at school, I was called Sim or Simo.

The bravest thing I have ever done is...save the life of our tabby cat, Creswell, when she was hit by a car a few years ago. She was bruised and battered and had broken her jaw and one of her legs. I picked her up gently, held her close to me and rushed her to the vet.

My favourite TV show is... The Fall, which I watched recently. I watched all three series over the course of two weeks and it was absolutely brilliant.

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My perfect evening is... staying in and cooking with the family, when I get an evening off, which is rare. Our favourite dish is egg and chorizo casserole or the spicy South African dish bobotie, and my son cooks the perfect frittata. He is very inventive.

My first kiss was with... Jeanette Jarvis, who was my first crush when I was about 11. I was in the school choir and so was she and I was obsessed with her.

My biggest regret is... Snapping my Achilles tendon a month before I was due to play in a charity football match at Anfield with Kenny Dalglish, my absolute hero. It happened about seven years ago and apart from it being extremely painful, I was gutted that I wasn’t able to participate.

The rehab took ages and, being an active person, it was frustrating not to be able to do anything.

The best thing my parents taught me was... to give people I employ in the catering industry the best opportunity to succeed.

The last time I cried was... watching Mighty Thor. I cry at the drop of a hat and my dad is exactly the same. I remember whenever I scored a goal as a lad, I would look over at my dad and see him welling up. I used to be embarrassed about it, but now it doesn’t bother me. I wear my heart on my sleeve – I don’t think it’s a bad trait.

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The first record I ever bought was... Slade Alive!. It was the first LP that I bought with my own money. At the time, I was a huge fan of Slade, Mud, T Rex and Sweet. There are a few embarrassing singles that I bought back then, including Gimme Dat Ding by The Pipkins, which I bought when I was about six.

It’s not good for my image but I like... a large doner kebab from the local takeaway when I have been out for a few pints with my mates.

The thought of it seems repulsive but there’s nothing like doner and chips when I’m on a big night out.

My greatest weakness is... biscuits, especially Hobnobs. I try not to keep them in the house as I would more than happily munch through a whole packet in one go.

I drive... a black Porsche Panamera, which looks more like a saloon car than a sports car. I’ve always wanted one so last year I thought I would treat myself. I feel I’m on the right side of the mid-life crisis, although I’m not quite at the stage of wearing cowboy boots and growing a ponytail.

The shop I can’t walk past is... Selfridges.

It has an amazing food hall and I enjoy shopping for clothes, interiors and watches.

My perfect Sunday is... cooking brunch every Sunday for my family after my live TV show.

I usually get up on Sunday at 5.30am and when I get back from the studio, we take the dog for a walk then cook. We all love Shakshuka and tend to use a selection of cooked meats, eggs, salsa verde, home-cooked flat bread, then all tuck in dipping the bread into the runny yolks.

My favourite place in Britain is... Liverpool.

I’ve lived in Manchester for 28 years but love Liverpool. Whenever I go back and see the Liver Building, it still sends a shiver down my spine.

I have two pubs and a restaurant there.

My last holiday was... a family holiday to Miami for New Year, which was fantastic.

We went for the first time last year and enjoyed it so much we immediately booked to go again. It has so much going for it – great food, nice people and a beautiful climate, and there’s always something going on.

We don’t bother with going to the theme parks as we prefer the beaches, as well as eating and drinking.

I’m currently reading... I Am Pilgrim by Terry Hayes. The only genre of books I tend to read are crime novels.

If I had half an hour left on Earth... I would have lots of champagne and invite all my family and best friends round for a celebration of good food and drink.

Simon is a British Lion eggs ambassador. Check out his recipes at eggrecipes.co.uk. He also presents Eat The Week on Channel 4.